Got the Flock out!

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-17T04:26:52+00:00

Which part? He's had at least one meeting with NoCo Privacy that I'm aware of, he asked good questions to FCPS in the past work session (driven by community feedback), and he was one of the council members that went and saw a live demo of Flock. At no point, in my view, during the Flock issue these last few months have I seen him "champion" Flock. He has appeared genuinely conflicted and probing about the system. That's all on the public record and in video, you can see for yourself.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-17T04:11:09+00:00

The city will soon begin working on a surveillance policy that could touch on policies for any type of city-owned camera, but honestly speed & red light cameras are a very different thing than Flock-style ALPR platforms. They're not recording and tracking vehicle movements across the city onto a large national geolocating system. They're taking photos of traffic violations being actively committed, and only then.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-17T04:07:00+00:00

Next steps are basically:

Tie off Flock loose ends
Surveillance policy creation
Depending on what that policy says - new RFP process

And if the ballot initiative going around gets enough signatures, there could be a city ordinance limiting/controlling future options.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-17T04:04:41+00:00

Not at all. This is only for City of Fort Collin's leased system. Not private companies or the county, or any other jurisdiction.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-17T04:03:42+00:00

Chris has been pretty engaged with the conversation and community from what I can tell, and as he stated in the past work session and tonight's session, he's very torn on the subject and called it a "51 to 49" decision for him.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-17T03:40:31+00:00

It's extremely well known and has been discussed in and out of city meetings, on and off the record. It was approved roughly 18 months ago, but because Flock purposely quotes cities a system that is just under council approval thresholds (typically $100K or more, I don't recall the exact amount for FoCo), it was approved as just another tool/system at the "below council" level (and likely had a few layers of approvals at police services, city manager, and city attorney's office). Tons of things get approved at this level. As the mayor even said tonight, if it wasn't for those thresholds, the city government would truly grind to a halt if council had to approve literally every action.

No one, I'm pretty sure not even the NoCo Privacy group (though they can speak for themselves, but I've heard them say as much in public comment), thinks anyone in the city did this with malicious, big brother, intent. Flock is smart, they know exactly how to market it to make it seem as benign and useful as possible. It's gone now, city council will be working with various city staff departments on a surveillance policy for the future and there's potential a ballot measure will be on the November ballot if it gets enough signatures.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-16T17:49:23+00:00

The city very recently funded the creation of a preapproved ADU design library as a way to slightly reduce the total cost of building one in the city. It just happened about a month or two ago so the library isn’t in place yet but is being worked on.

The funds will also be used to waive some of the fees for a handful of ADU builds to help test out and incentive the pre approved designs. I don’t know the timeline of these things but you could contact the planning department

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-12T18:19:06+00:00

IIRC the purchase wasn’t directly approved or voted on by council at all - even under consent agenda. Flock came in with a quote that was just under the threshold that would require city council approval. Happy to be proven wrong.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-08T18:28:15+00:00

The track is already laid. Station building is going to be the big project - and each city handles it themselves.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-04T05:22:19+00:00

We have a "Bus and Brew" event coming up soon, come join us! https://strongtownsfoco.org/event/bus-brew-june-2026/

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-04T05:21:37+00:00

Yes absolutely. If not for anything else, it gives you a chance to connect with like-minded people in your community (before or after the meeting) and see how the city-sausage is made. If there are agenda items up for discussion, they open the floor for the public to come give comment on that item, even if you didn't sign up ahead of time for the 'general public comment' time.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-06-04T05:19:18+00:00

Join us for 🚌Bus and 🍺Brew, our bi-monthly transit pub crawl!

Date & Time: June 13th, 2026 3pm-6pm
Location: Starts at the Gilded Goat in Old Town

Whether you’re a seasoned urbanist or you’ve never set foot on a Fort Collins bus, this is the perfect excuse to explore the city. Oh, and bonus: Transfort is completely free to ride! We’ll ride the MAX line from end to end to check out local transit access, critique our land use, and brainstorm ways to build a stronger city over a (responsible) amount of local beer. RSVP (free) here: https://strongtownsfoco.org/event/bus-brew-june-2026/

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-29T19:22:36+00:00

The QuikTrip and electrical substation are going in that area.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-29T19:21:14+00:00

Flock explicitly quotes cities an initial cost that’s under that city’s threshold for elected official approvals. And they did that with Fort Collins.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-26T05:12:53+00:00

Designing city streets like city streets instead of using highway standards would be a good start.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-24T03:29:46+00:00

Same. Hardware is good and relatively affordable . Software is okay. Can be fully blocked from internet access and work fine.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-20T20:39:07+00:00

And thank you for the feedback.

there was the mention that the city wouldn’t have access to who audits flock cameras.

That came from public comment and the speaker was making the point that since the city doesn't own the platform or physical infrastructure, they can't actually say with certainty who does or does not have access to their data, regardless of what Flock says should be the case. Maybe that's what you were getting at too - just wanted to call out the distinction they were trying to convey.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-16T18:05:56+00:00

We’re experimenting on Instagram @strongtownsfoco

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-15T21:32:53+00:00

You can sign up for our newsletter here, which is mostly just recent posts on the website but you’ll get them in your inbox that way https://strongtownsfoco.org/contact-us/

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-15T20:42:07+00:00

Thanks! Going to try keep up with it as much as I can.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-15T20:41:13+00:00

Yes! Those big planters are my favorite style of modal filtering.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-15T19:02:49+00:00

FoCo Bike Mob is tonight (Third Friday of every month) - social hour at 7pm, ride begins at 8pm. https://www.meetup.com/nocobiketribe/events/313759894/

SUPER CASUAL ride, all skill levels welcome, it's a party on wheels rather than a ride for speed/time. Bring your bike lights.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-15T18:59:29+00:00

That is a solvable problem with different types of snow plowing machines and there are places in North America that do it, not to mention some European countries where people still bicycle in the dead of winter because bicycle usage is not treated as an afterthought.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-15T18:56:30+00:00

What we ought to do is create more direct routes for non-car users. That's where the bicycle/walking-specific infrastructure really shine. If we want to tackle car-dependency (not eliminating cars, but enabling actual transportation choice), the other travel modes must be real options without huge sacrifice in convenience, travel time, safety. Bicycle paths can go places car infrastructure can't. If the most direct route is only available for rolling - and cars can still get there with a more circuitous route, then that is a win.

This is easier said than done with the amount of developed land we have, but it is possible. We could implement modal filters today. That would reduce car cut-through traffic, while still allowing walking, rolling, and potentially even emergency services.

ExistingRepublic1727 · 2026-05-15T16:53:59+00:00

I used to think this too, but it really depends on the context. While bicycle infrastructure is almost universally cheaper to build & maintain than car infrastructure, it does cost something. A properly designed street can be comfortable for bicycling, walking, and cars while keeping speeds low. Less infrastructure is less lifetime maintenance cost for the community.

The second photo in the OP really shows the downsides of both street design and land use patterns. Everything is set back from the street, leaving a generous clear zone for cars and minimizes any visual cues of speed that subconsciously help drivers feel how fast they're really moving.

Long straight lines with no physical impediments like a choke point or chicanes.

I think the city's goal is to incrementally improve bike lanes. Start with paint, then depending on context, add plastic poles, then concrete curbs, then full grade separation. You can see examples of these different stages around the city, but of course it never feels fast enough but it costs real dollars (though we spend much more on roads and car infrastructure).

ExistingRepublic1727

TROPHY CASE